“Falling through the cracks”: health care needs of the older homeless population and their implications

Watson, Dennis P.; George, Cherian; Walker, Christopher J

doi:10.1016/s0275-4959(08)26009-6

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Brown et al (2012) identified rates of 'geriatric conditions' amongst homeless people in the USA at two to four times higher than the general over 50 populations. Further research from the USA has demonstrated that the prevalence and severity of health concerns amongst older homeless people represent barriers to accessing care and exiting homelessness (Padgett et al, 2006;Shinn et al, 2007;Watson, 2010;Watson et al, 2008). It is not uncommon for people in this group to have spent significant periods of their lives in orphanages, prison and mental health hospitals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Homeless for the First Time in Later Life: An Australian Study

Petersen

Parsell

2014

Housing Studies

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This article explores pathways into homelessness by older Australians, with a particular focus on first-time homelessness. Drawing on a multi-method study including data mining of 561 client records and 20 interviews with service providers, the distinctive nature of older people's homelessness is demonstrated. Three pathways to homelessness in later life are identified. With close to 70 per cent of the participants having had a conventional housing history, the article reveals in rich detail the circumstances surrounding critical housing incidents for older Australians. It shows that older people are at risk when they are evicted, are unable to continue to living with family, face unaffordable rent in the private rental market, cannot continue living in inaccessible rental housing, as well as experience a breakdown in an important relationship. The results provide key material to inform the design of services and policy initiatives to prevent and address homelessness for older Australians.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Homeless for the First Time in Later Life: An Australian Study

Petersen

Parsell

2014

Housing Studies

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“…Nonetheless, older people are still a large proportion of single homeless people in many developed countries, and several surveys in Australia and the larger American and Canadian cities indicate growing numbers. 9,10 As there are no aggregate point-in-time or period statistics for all homeless people in the United Kingdom, the temporal trend in the total number of older homeless people is unknown. One constituent group is monitored, those who are accepted each year by local authority housing departments as homeless and in 'priority need' of rehousing on the grounds of 'old age'.…”

Section: The Number Of Older Homeless Peoplementioning

confidence: 99%

Homelessness among older people and service responses

Crane

Warnes

2010

Rev. Clin. Gerontol.

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Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0959259810000225How to cite this article: Maureen Crane and Anthony M Warnes (2010). Homelessness among older people and service responses. SummaryThis paper reviews the limited evidence on the causes of homelessness in old age and on the circumstances and problems of older homeless people, and it describes the few services dedicated to the group. Health care and social care professionals rarely encounter homelessness among the many problems of older people that present to them, but in many developed countries there is evidence that the number of older homeless people has recently been growing. Some among them have been homeless intermittently or continuously for years, but many became homeless for the first time in later life. The reasons for becoming homeless and the problems and needs of the group are exceptionally diverse. Many have been estranged from their family or have no living relatives, and they have a high prevalence of health problems and functional limitations. Although services for homeless people in general have improved since the early 1990s, few have targeted the needs of older people.

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“…However, it is still important to understand how policies structuring program funding and access to benefits affect service provision to older homeless people with mental health problems. Policies structuring programming largely allocate funding to address issues affecting younger homeless individuals, while eligibility for benefits such as Social Security, Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income and/or Medicare are based on the norms and experiences of "normal" aging found in the housed population (Watson, George, and Walker 2008). Eligibility requirements based on factors associated with younger homeless or older housed Americans (above the age of 60, 62, or 64, depending on the benefits in question) mean that older homeless individuals are often restricted from accessing services and/or benefits.…”

Section: The Issue Of Funding and Benefitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the number of older homeless people has grown, researchers have recognized the need to investigate the ways this population's health differs from that of the younger homeless (Cohen 1999;Hecht and Coyle 2001;Gelberg, Linn, and Mayer-Oakes 1980;Smith 2003;Watson, George, and Walker 2008), and the mental health of older homeless people has been one of the major themes of this research. However, many of the findings from this previous research are limited for two reasons.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Mental Health of the Older Homeless Population: Provider-Perceived Issues Related to Service Provision

Watson

2010

Journal of Applied Social Science

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In this article I discuss providers of homeless services' perceptions of the mental health needs of individuals who are homeless and aged 50 to 64 as they relate to service provision. 1 To accomplish this task, I analyzed fifty-six interviews conducted with providers of homeless services in the city of Chicago. These interviews were completed as part of a larger study conducted in collaboration with the coordinating body of the local homeless service system in an effort to better understand the unique issues affecting the older homeless population and to develop appropriate policy and programmatic responses to these issues. Issues providers most readily point to are important to understand when developing policy and programming because they are likely to represent problems providers most frequently encounter or that providers find to be the most difficult to resolve in their daily work. Qualitative analysis of interviews pointed to six recognizable issues providers were concerned with regarding this older homeless population and mental health, including: (1) specific mental health problems, (2) specific mental health subpopulations, (3) substance use/abuse, (4) therapeutic needs, (5) medication management, and (6) outreach and active engagement. Based on this analysis, policy and programmatic suggestions for the homeless service system are discussed.INDIVIDUALS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 50 AND 64 who are experiencing homelessness (hereafter referred to as "older homeless") and their specific needs have begun to receive special attention in the literature on homelessness as the "baby boomer" generation has aged. Several studies have already shown large populations of older homeless individuals living in major U.S. metropolitan areas and significant differences existing between this group and younger cohorts of homeless people (Hahn,

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“Falling through the cracks”: health care needs of the older homeless population and their implications

Cited by 8 publications

References 13 publications

Homeless for the First Time in Later Life: An Australian Study

Homeless for the First Time in Later Life: An Australian Study

Homelessness among older people and service responses

The Mental Health of the Older Homeless Population: Provider-Perceived Issues Related to Service Provision

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